Tuesday, August 23, 2011

"Wild" Impatiens

I have to reiterate my Love of Impatiens! I can't get enough of them. They are absolutely my favorite flower due to their care-free style; meaning I have to do very little "caring" to keep them looking great. They "maintain" themselves (for the most part), shedding spent blooms and replacing them with equally brilliant ones.

Pretty In Pink

This annual loves the climate and soil of my property so much that it has become a perennial for me in Pennsylvania - Zone 6a (Use this zone finder to find yours.) Yes, I have "wild" impatiens popping up all over the place. Imagine if I could get them to overtake my entire yard. Now that would be an incredible carpet of color?! I think somebody needs to work on a hybrid Impatiens groundcover.

Spilling from the center of an old tree trunk.

The nights have gotten somewhat cooler recently and those cooling temps really do the impatiens well. They look so vivid and perky in the mornings this time of year. I can expect this color to continue right through fall until the first, hard frost - practically two full seasons of color!

Popping up from some gravel along my front walkway.
A welcomed "guest" as opposed to the pesky weeds.

If you've never planted Impatiens before, you must give them a try. Just be sure you have a nice, shady location for them. Perhaps you too will find that you have "wild" Impatiens the following year.

A flower head catching some morning sun rays. Leaves still wet with dew.

A bounty of color growing from an old tree stump.
Welcomed color in a predominately green "zone".